Rail-clamp.



' lE. GOOD.

RAIL CLAMP.

v n APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1909.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

, 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. 7"'2! Oath/effe!! E. GOOD. RAIL LAMP.

. APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1909.

Patented Feb. 15,-- 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. y

WMe/Jed @y H a EDGAR GOOI),

UNITED STAT-RS 'PATENT OFFICE.

or TOLEDO, onto,

l ASSIGNOR TO THE UNITED STATES MALLEABLE IRON COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO,A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

RAIL-CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

Application 'filed May 15, 1909. Serial No. 496,304.

t relative movement.

It is a further object to obtain a simple and inexpensive construction.

The invention therefore consists in the= construction as hereinafter setforth.

In the drawings-Figure l is a side elevation of a rail joint to which myimprovement is applied: Fin'. 2 is a cross section on lim` www, Fig. l;end view showing,y a modified construction` and Fig. is a perspectiveview of one of l t by the nut P. This clampingr will force the theclamping plates.

The standard construction of rail joints is one in which the adjonnng,-end portions 'of the railsw-such as A A', are clamped toi gether by fishplates B B secured by clamping bolts C. It is also usual to 'providethese fish plates with bottom flanges D which extend over the baseportion E of the, rail. M v improved clamp is applicable to such a jointwithout the necessity of removing the fish plates, and is constructed asfollows: F

I, Encan Gool), a citizen Fig. 3 is a broken i l l l l may be brought to.and F are two members arranged upon opposite sides of the rail and eachprovided l with a hooked flange or jaw G for engaging the flanges D ofthe fish plates and the base F. of the rail. further provided withinwardly-projecting portions II II.wliich extend into proximity to eachother at substantially the center of the base of the rail. The portionsII I-I are provided with grooved channels for receiving a wedge memberor key I which extends transversely beneath the joint between the rails.

further provided with downward projections J J which are spaced fromeach other by means of integral inwardly-extending and abutting lugs KKillustrated in Fig. 3-or preferably by the spacer If-shown in Fig.2-the opposite ends of which are These members F F are The sections F F'are still recessed ,to engage lugs M M 4on the portions J J. This latterconstruction permits yof applying the device to various widths of railby merely exchanging the spacer for one of different length. The membersF F are clamped to each other by transversely-extending clamping bolts NN, and the Wedge or key member I is clamped by a bolt O, which extendsat an angle to the longitudinal axis of the' wedge, and en-v gagesapertures in the wedge and the member F. Thehead ofthe bolt preferablyengages a recess in the large end of the wedge, j

while the threaded'end of the bolt projects outward beyond theside ofthe member F and is engaged by a clamping nut I.

With the construction as described, to apply the clamp to the railjoint, it is merely necessary to placethe members F F upon oppositesides of the rail with the spacer L and then insert and securetherebetween. the bolts N N. After this, the wedge I. which is in itslcrooved scat in the portions H l-I, may be tightened by the insertionof thc bolt O and the drawing up of the bolt upper face ofthe wedgeagainst the adjacent end portions of the rails, the force reactingagainsty the hooked portions G `on the members F F. Thus sufficientpressure bear to absolutely hold the rail sections from relativemovement.

My construction has the advantage that. while'the rails are held at alltimes with their abutting ends at precisely the same height, freedom isstill provided for the rails to expand or contract. The vibration andpressure of a load on top of the rails will be distributed over theentire surface of the wedge which comes in contact with the entire widthof the rail atthe under side of the rail foot,V Tipping or turning' ofthe rail is prevented" by the engagement. of the hooks or jaws with therail base in connection with the clamping action of the wedge, and theengagement of said jaws with the flanges of the fish plates, whichprevents the latter from becoming loose.

wWhat I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with adjoining rail sections, of a pair of membersupon opposite sides of said rail sections having chair bearingsextending inward beneath thc rail base and downward projections, a strutfor spacing said downward projections. a clamping bolt between saidstrut and the rail base, and a wedge seated on said chair bearings andengaging the bottoni face of the adjoining rail sections. 4

The combination with adjoining rail Seetons, of a pair of members uponopposite sides of said rail sections provided with chair bearingsextending inward beneath the. rail base and downward projections, a

strut for spacing said downward projections, k a clamping bolt betweensaid strut and the rail base, a wedge seated on said chair bearings, anda bolt'for adjusting said wedge to clamp the same against the bottomfaces of the adjoining rail sections.

3. The combination with adjoining rail sections, of a pair of clampinplates upon opposite sides of said rail sections and having chairbearings extending beneath the rail base, a wedge seated on said. chairbearings and bearing against the bottom faces of the adjolnlng railsections, and a bolt y extending at an angle to the axis of the l l iwedge for clamping the latter against the rail.

4L. The combination with adjoining rail sections, of a pair of membersarranged upon opposite sides of said rail sections,

having grooved chair bearings extending beneath the rail base, j groovedbearlngs and bea-ring against the under face of the adjoining railsections, a

bolt engaging the head of said wedge and extending at an angle to theaxis thereof through an aperture in the opposite side member, and a nutfor clamping said bolt.

5. The combination with adjoining' rail sections, fish plates uponopposite sides of said rail sections, having anges extending over thebase of the rail, a pair of members upon opposite sides of said railsections, jaws for engaging the anges of said fish plates, chairbearings extending beneath the base of the rail and downwardprojections, a strut for spacing said downward projections, a clamping.bolt between said strut and the base of` a wedge seated in said

